Moving On
by deckman
Summary: A crossover of Evangelion with Tenchi Muyo.
1. Chapter 1

Moving On

by deckman1063

Disclaimer: The characters and backgrounds depicted in this story aren't mine. They belong to their respective copyright holders, Gainax, Viz, Pioneer, etc.... I'm just borrowing them. This work of fiction is not intended to make any profit for me or anyone else, either.

Chapter 1

The brown haired young man slumped into the sand and curled into a ball. The red haired young woman's hand stayed up where the boy's cheek had been for a few moments but dropped as she rolled over and grimaced. "I feel terrible," she said, almost as much to tell herself as the boy next to her. Her form was swathed in dirty white bandages, and what was left of a form-fitting red suit covered her from head to toe under them. Her one un-bandaged eye caught the wan, reddish gray light as she blinked and stared at the crucified forms of the Mass Production Model Evangelions out on the water. Her recognition of the giant, lifeless body with the all too familiar form on the hills on the opposite shore of the lake made her gasp.

The boy's ragged breathing next to her reminded her that she was not alone, "Shinji?" She paused, but he didn't reply. "Shinji! Say something, - please?"

Shinji choked out "What?" between what could have been sobs or coughs, she couldn't tell. "What is it, Asuka?"

"Do you think we're alone? Is there anyone else?" Asuka's voice trembled. She wasn't used to asking hard questions, but Instrumentality had changed her. She knew that much.

"I don't know. Maybe we are. Rei – Ayanami said that anyone could return, if they wanted to. I'm sorry. You could have stayed with everyone else. You didn't have to come with me."

"Wondergirl told you that? That anyone could come back? When?"

"She told me before I chose to come back."

"I meant when would they return, not when she told you, baka."

Shinji surprised mind thought Asuka's 'baka' sounded almost - friendly? No, affectionate? No, it must just be her injuries that took the angry edge away. "Sorry, I thought that was what you meant. But she didn't say how long it would take, just that people could return. You did, why?" He whispered the final word so low that her bandage-covered ears almost missed it over the constant hiss of the wind.

"Why? I didn't want to be lost. I'm the Great Asuka Langley Soryu! But not if I'm everyone else, too. And nobody deserves to be alone."

"But you weren't alone - you aren't making any sense," replied the confused teen.

"Not me, YOU, you dense idiot!" was Asuka's response, and she surprised even herself with how easy it was to say.

"Me? For me?"

"Don't get the wrong idea, baka, but yes, for you. For all your baka-ness you're still the only one who knows me at all." They both lapsed into silence, thinking about all the things they had learned about each other during Instrumentality.

Shinji's mind slowly wrapped itself around the concept that Asuka had returned at least partly for HIM, and he managed to surprise Asuka in turn with a quiet but sincere "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Shinji," was the last thing either of them said for a while, as they went back to their thoughts and the exhaustion of the past events caught up with them.

-§-

There was an itch on the inside of her elbow, just under the edge of the bandages, and Asuka couldn't ignore it any longer. She had been enjoying the lulling effects of the wind and Shinji's even breathing for the past half an hour, thinking. The itch, and the fact that she hadn't moved in all that time convinced her to attempt to scratch. "Bandages?" she thought, as she realized that she could not remember being tended to. There had been the terrible pain of the death of Unit Two, then the confusing blur of Instrumentality, then she had been on this beach. She realized she had no memory of medical attention or first aid. First aid was more likely, too, since the bandaging job wasn't very good. She scratched her itch with her good hand and just as she was about to roll towards Shinji and ask him about the first aid, she heard a low buzz coming from the other side of her, where Shinji wasn't.

"Here they are, Washu! One of them looks hurt, bring the gurney!" came an unfamiliar woman's voice.

"Bring two! Just in case!" was a man's tone. "Everything will be OK, you two, just relax and let us take care of you. My name is Tenchi Masaki, and I would like to offer you our help. What are your names?"

Asuka rolled towards the voices with a painful grunt and stared wide-eyed at the inky black, swirling, star-filled circle that was floating in the air behind the tall, brown haired man. What looked like a glass coffin was emerging from the circle, and there was a red-haired woman standing next to the circle concentrating on a small, insubstantial keyboard and screen and typing. Shinji sat up groggily, having been woken by the activity. He had missed Tenchi's introduction, but not the final question, and stared suspiciously at the newcomers, moving closer to Asuka. "Who are you people? What are you doing here? Did you come back? What's going on?"

"Relax, kid, we aren't going to hurt you or do anything without your permission," spoke the blue-haired, golden-eyed woman in a red and black body suit who was standing behind Shinji looking up and down the beach, staring longest at the M.P. EVA's and the giant, rapidly decaying Rei. "You two are the only ones left on this planet besides us, and you seem to need help. I'm Ryoko Masaki, and that redhead over by the portal is my mother, Washu." The red-head looked up from her typing and waved, giving the two teens a big grin. "The good-looking fellow over there with the gurney is my husband, Tenchi."

Asuka replied, since Shinji had just noticed the portal and was staring much like she had. "I'm Asuka Langley Soryu, pilot of Evangelion Unit 02," she gestured towards her companion and continued "and he's Shinji Ikari, pilot of Evangelion Unit 01. Now, how about answering his questions, please?"

Washu looked up form her typing and answered, "All in good time. You need rest and medical attention first. Let's get you someplace less exposed and taken care of. We mean you no harm." She paused, and laughed, "Ha! I'm getting old, I must sound like Mihoshi! But to briefly answer your questions, we didn't come back like I think you meant it, we sheltered in subspace for the last couple of hours, and after things stopped happening, my sensor scans showed only you two young folks left. So, we came to offer our assistance, like any good neighbor. Lets get you packed up into the gurneys while I take care of a few things. Tenchi? Ryoko?"she looked at both adults and then stared typing too fast to follow. Several small silver orbs flew out of the portal and scattered in all directions.

Tenchi finished maneuvering the two gurneys next to the teens who were still on the ground. Realizing that the two still did not trust him, he decided that he had to make some gesture of his sincerity. "I swear to you both, on my honor, that we will do you no harm. Please, let us help you."

"Asuka, what do you think? I think we should go with them. You're hurt, and there is nothing left here. I don't want to stay here if we can leave."

"But what about our friends, if they return? How will they find us? Misato, Hikari, even your stooge friends? We can't leave without leaving something for them if they come back!" She stopped as she realized Shinji had a pained look and was clutching something in his right hand so tightly that blood was beginning to drip onto the sand. "Shinji - what's the matter? What did I ... oh - oh damn, Shinji, what are you holding in your hand?" She was afraid she already knew, she had seen the chain that was dangling from his dripping fist before. "Misato?"

"She's gone, Asuka, they shot her! It was all my fault! I should have run faster! I shouldn't have been hiding...I shouldn't have..." he trailed off into sobs and collapsed on the ground next to Asuka.

Ryoko had been about to say something but decided that actions would speak louder than words at this point, moving up to the two teens and enfolding them both in a hug. Shinji instinctively burrowed into her shoulder, and Asuka tried to roll closer to Shinji, but her injuries protested. "Ow! My arm!"

After a few moments, Shinji began to calm down and Ryoko asked "Are you two OK now? I'd like to get home, this place gives me the creeps. Mom left sensors to keep track of any activity in the area. If anyone else shows up, we'll know about it." Her compassionate tone got Shinji to look up and pull away.

"I'm sorry, please excuse me for my outburst," he apologetically murmured, turning to Asuka. "Please, lets go away from here."

"OK, Shinji, we can go. I need help moving, though."

"Miss Soryu? Mr. Ikari? Let me help you up," Tenchi offered, moving one of the gurneys up next to the two survivors. Shinji stood up, and offered his hand to his companion.

"Keep your hands to yourself, I can do it," was Asuka's response, but her bravado didn't last since she only managed to roll onto her stomach before she cried out in pain, trying to push herself up with her bandaged arm. Ryoko quickly moved over and picked her up carefully, almost effortlessly. Asuka whispered a thank you.

"Into the gurney with you, then," grunted Ryoko as she maneuvered her burden onto the device. As Asuka laid back, a cap materialized over her legs, holding her to the flat surface.

"I can walk, I think," Shinji said as he stood and put a hand on Asuka's transport. "Now what?"

"Back to Okayama first of all, to get you fixed up," came Washu's cheerful chirp. "Just follow Tenchi. Ryoko, you go right behind, and I'll bring up the rear. Tenchi? The gurney?"

"Oh, right, Washu. Please follow me, Mr. Ikari," he sheepishly said as he tore his gaze from the crucified EVAs and began guiding Asuka toward the portal. Shinji didn't know what to expect, but he wasn't going to leave Asuka alone, not after all they had been through, so he squared his shoulders and followed Tenchi into the swirling black. There was a slight dizziness and loss of equilibrium but it was short lived. As he started to fall, the sensations passed and he found himself standing on a solid floor in a well lit, very large space. There was water flowing in intricate circular channels in the floor surrounding a medium-sized tree in a pool in front of them on a small central island. He jumped as the tree shot off several beams of light at the ground to the sound of tinkling bells. Tenchi stopped pushing the gurney (which continued moving by itself) and bowed towards the tree, "Thank you for your welcome, Ryu-Oh, these two young people will be our guests for a while. I will introduce you after they have rested and had their injuries tended." The tree seemed to reply with more beams and a final tinkle.

"Shinji, what was that? I can't see from here," complained the redhead on the gurney.

"I have no idea, Asuka," he answered and turned to follow the others.

"Come along, children, let's get you settled. We'll explain everything once you have rested some," Washu interjected as she walked towards a house set about fifty yards away at the edge of the circular area they had entered from the portal. "Ryu-Oh's environmental unit was the only place big enough for the whole house on such short notice that had decent lighting and air. It is almost as good as being outside! I am SUCH a genius!" Washu started laughing like a mad scientist as she finished her speech.

"Washu, stop trying to impress our guests until they have had a chance to get settled. You're making them nervous," was Tenchi's gentle reprimand. Shinji quietly followed the gurney to the large, spacious looking house and wondered just what he and Asuka had gotten themselves into.


	2. Chapter 2

Moving On

by deckman1063

See Chapter 1 for disclaimer.

Chapter 2

"OK, Miss Asuka, lie still and let me see what kind of injuries you have," Washu said firmly as she pushed some buttons on the gurney and typed on her holo-laptop. They had just arrived in an examining room after being led into the house and through a door under the stairs. Shinji was waiting outside the exam room door at Asuka's insistence, so he couldn't "catch a glimpse of me naked." He had, however, insisted that the door be open so he could be sure that she was okay. Several small displays appeared in the air over the gurney showing various medical information. After a minute or two of hmm's and ahh's from Washu and beeps from the equipment, Washu's concentration was broken by her impatient patient.

"Well? What is the diagnosis, Miss Washu? Am I going to be all right? What about my eye?"

"Just another minute and I'll have all the data. You aren't going to die any time soon, so relax." Washu leaned in close to her patient's ear and asked in a stage whisper, "are you and Mr. Ikari going to want one futon or two?"

As both Shinji and Asuka turned red, the unfamiliar voice of a young woman exclaimed "Grandmother! You shouldn't ask such embarrassing questions! Look - you've made the poor girl turn as red as her suit, and Ikari-kun looks like he is going to faint!"

Washu cackled, "I'm just gathering important data! Mayuka, this is Asuka Soryu. Miss Soryu, this is my granddaughter Mayuka."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Mayuka," Asuka responded to the black-haired and orange-eyed young woman standing next to the gurney. "And for the record," she glared at Washu, "we'll want TWO futons. So, Miss Washu, how am I?"

Washu clicked at her keyboard for a few seconds, then answered her patient, "You have some nerve damage in your bandaged arm and leg, and your eye will need to be replaced, but don't worry. I should be able to grow you a new one from your own stem cells in a month or so. Your eyesight will be back to normal in no time. The nerve damage can be repaired, also, but it will take a little longer than your eye since I have to do it in situ. Otherwise, you are basically healthy, although you have some cuts and bruises, and a slight case of malnutrition, and you are underweight. Nothing a few weeks of rest, physical therapy, and good food can't take care of. Do you have any questions?"

"You can regenerate my eye? For real? Even NERV had trouble with that."

"I'm not in the habit of bragging about simple things, Miss Asuka. I'll need to get a stem cell sample from you, but that can wait until tomorrow. I think that any other questions can be answered later, as well. How would you like to join us in our onsen before dinner? Mayuka, help me move her to the float chair." Mayuka assisted Asuka onto a floating cushion, as Washu continued, "After a good bath, we'll have dinner and you can meet the rest of the family. Then I think it will be time for you and Shinji to retire until morning. Mayuka, go ahead and take Asuka to the onsen. I'll be along after I examine Shinji. Miss Asuka's bandages can come off, there is no real need for them that I could see. Could you lend her some of your clothes until we can get her some of her own?"

"I can find something, Grandmother. Who will be making dinner if I'm taking care of Asuka?"

"I'll take care of it today, the robots can do an adequate job. I need a bath, too."

"OK, Grandmother. We'll meet you in the onsen." Mayuka pushed Asuka out of the room and back towards the door they came in through, past Shinji.

"Asuka, are you OK?" he asked as he stood up from where he sat on the floor with his back against the wall.

"I'll be fine, Shinji. You're next."

"Where are you going?" he asked both girls, having met Mayuka before she went into the room.

"I'm taking Asuka to the onsen to get cleaned up. You can have your bath after you're finished with Grandmother. My father will come to show you where it is."

"I'm glad you're not seriously hurt, Asuka. I'll see you after we're cleaned up." Shinji said as he turned to enter the exam room. He was puzzled, but he couldn't help feeling comfortable around these odd people. It wouldn't be until much later that he would realize that it was because they treated him and Asuka with genuine care and respect, something he wasn't used to.

His reverie was interrupted as Washu directed him to sit on the gurney that Asuka had been on and gave him a quick examination. After a couple of minutes, Washu declared him fit and prescribed him the same rest and good food that she had prescribed for Asuka.

-§-

As Asuka soaked in the bath, barely listening to Mayuka, Washu, and Ryoko, she thought over the events since her awakening on the beach, and wondered if Shinji was right about Misato. Her guardian had driven her crazy, but she just now had realized something she hadn't wanted to acknowledge before: only the people that you care about can aggravate you as much as Misato had bugged her. The sounds of people moving on the other side of the onsen's dividing screen got her attention, and she heard some male voices, Shinji's included. She smiled softly to herself as she realized that Shinji fell into the same category.

-§-

Shinji left the exam room and found Tenchi waiting, watching some odd fish swimming in a tank that lined the wall. "I'm ready for that bath Miss Washu mentioned. I'll need to borrow some clean clothes, though. These are really dirty."

"I'm sure I can find you something for that will do until Miss Washu can have her machines make you some clothes that fit. Come, I could use a bath too, and my grandfather wants to meet you," Tenchi said as he led the way out of what Mayuka had called "the lab," emerging inside the house and heading up the stairs. "Do you like hot springs, Shinji? These aren't natural, but not so you would notice."

"Uh, I don't mind. I am sure it will be no problem. Thank you for all of your hospitality. Um, can I ask you a question? About Miss Washu?" Shinji hesitated, not wanting to offend his host.

"Certainly! You can ask, but I may not have an answer. What do you want to know?"

"Well, you see, Miss Washu, is she really your wife's mother? She doesn't look that old. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude." Shinji blushed and looked down at the floor as he followed Tenchi into the changing room.

"Oh, she's my mother-in-law, there is no doubt about it. She is much older than she looks. We'll have to show you some family pictures of when she looked much younger." Tenchi explained as the two of them got ready for the bath.

A warm cloud of steam greeted them as they entered the bathing pool, and Shinji was introduced to Tenchi's grandfather, who had been in the bath waiting for them. Yosho Masaki Jurai was another mystery to Shinji, his long dark hair and youthful appearance not fitting his being Tenchi's grandfather. He put his questions aside, though and settled into the comfortably warm water. He started to drift off to sleep to the musical tones of the women's voices on the other side of the screen, but started as he realized that Yosho had asked him a question. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you, I was falling asleep."

"That is OK, Shinji. I asked you how you and Miss Asuka had come to be alone on the beach in Tokyo-3," came Yosho's deep base.

"I'm not really sure, myself, I think Rei had something to do with it, but I thought only I was going to be coming back. I'm sorry, it's all a jumble in my head."

Yosho digested this answer for a few moments, and decided that it might not be a good idea to ask too many questions right away. Washu had told him that they were safe for now, and he had already sent word to Jurai. It was not an immediate necessity that he get more information from the two survivors of the disaster had befallen the world. Washu's quick responses had saved them from the mysterious events, and while he knew she still did not have all the data, she had assured them it was safe enough for them to emerge from their subspace shelter, and she was, as usual, correct so far. "You do not need to be sorry, Shinji. We can discuss this all at a later time, I think. We are safe for now, and so are you and Miss Asuka. I do want to know more about what has happened, but it is no longer urgent, I think. What is your opinion, Tenchi?"

Even after all these years, Tenchi was still surprised at his grandfather sometimes, "you want my opinion, Grandfather?"

"Yes, Tenchi, I do. It is always valuable to hear another point of view."

"Well, I trust Washu that we are safe for now, and if what I saw in Tokyo-3 is a good example, there is no human activity anywhere. I think we should stay here in subspace, though, just to be sure, since Washu said she didn't have all the data yet. I don't think that there is any reason we can't wait to get more data. And the first relief ship should be arriving soon. Knowing Sasami, she won't wait for Great Grandfather's decision, she'll come right away."

"All good reasons not to hurry into things, Tenchi. I agree with you are about Sasami, and I, too, expect her soon. Tsunami will want to see this disaster firsthand. Sasami has seemed saddened recently, and I believe she had some premonitions of the events that have now occurred."

Tenchi and Yosho continued talking in low tones as Shinji mind drifted into his memories, images from Instrumentality running through his mind's eye until he was gently shaken by Tenchi, who had been sitting next to him in the water. "Shinji, time to get out of the bath and get ready for dinner. How are you feeling?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Masaki, I'm very tired, and still very confused. Dinner won't be long, will it? I may not be able to stay awake for much longer."

"Don't worry, dinner will be very simple tonight, and you have already met almost everyone who lives here," Tenchi assured the boy as he helped him out of the bath and got him some clean clothes which consisted of a hakama and gi, like a Shinto priest would wear. Shinji dressed quickly, as did the older men, and soon they were ready to eat. They entered the large dining room, and Shinji realized that this was a very traditional family: the table was low and everyone would have to kneel, unlike Misato's table which had been a western style sit-down table. It went along with the clothes he had been given, too.

The men did not have to wait long for the others to arrive for dinner. Tenchi had started to set the table when they had arrived, and was almost done by the time everyone else had come in. Shinji and Asuka were introduced to Tenchi's father, Noboyuki, who had been busy when the teens had arrived, and also to Ryo-Ohki, a strange cross between cat and rabbit that the Masaki's called a cabbit and treated as well or better than Misato had treated Pen Pen. Shinji wondered if Pen Pen had survived Third Impact and made a mental note to ask his hosts to look for him. They ate a quick, simple, but well prepared meal, and everyone tried to make sure that Shinji and Asuka felt welcome. It was a pleasant meal for both of them, and when it was over, Tenchi and Mayuka showed the two teens to a medium-sized room on the second floor of the house, divided by a large screen down the middle, with a futon in each half. Tenchi's explanation was that it was the only room they had that was not being used, and with the screen there should be more than enough privacy for them.

Asuka wanted to object to sharing a room with Shinji, but she did not have the energy to do more than forcefully tell her companion "come over to my side of the screen and you're history, Third Child," before she fell asleep on her futon in the sleeping robes that Mayuka had lent her. Shinji himself just said goodnight, and fell asleep himself. Both teens were too tired to notice any bad dreams, if they had any.

- § -

Asuka was awakened by the sound of knocking on the door to the room she had shared with Shinji. Mayuka stepped in and closed the door, going over to the closet on Shinji's side of the room. "What time is it?" was the first coherent thought that Asuka could voice as she sleepily rubbed her eyes and looked around the room. She noticed that there were no windows which gave her a good enough view outside to tell, and there was no clock in sight.

"Good morning, Asuka. It's about nine-thirty or so. Did you sleep well?"

"Better than I have in a while, I think, thanks. Which way is the bathroom, again? I was so tired last night, I don't remember if you showed me or not," asked Asuka as she sat up and looked around. "Where's Shinji?" she asked before Mayuka could respond.

"He's downstairs, in the family room. He was waiting for you to get up before he had breakfast. He's been up since eight," Mayuka replied. "The bathroom is on the left as you leave the room, the first door on the left before the stairs down. I'll put out some clothes for you, Grandmother managed to get some for you overnight. If they don't fit, she can take care of it after breakfast. If you need help, let me know, I'll be in here tidying up."

"Thank you, Miss Mayuka. You and your family have been very kind to us, I don't know how we would have managed if you hadn't come for us."

"You're welcome, both of you. We have a long tradition of taking in those in need. You and Ikari-kun are just the latest, and I'm sure you won't be the last. Now go clean up, Ikari-kun is probably starving."

"Yeah, that sounds like him. I won't be long." As she carefully made her way down the hall to the bathroom, Asuka couldn't help but think that she was lucky to have been rescued by such nice people.

- § -

The commotion by the front door got both teens' attention as they sat at the dining room table finishing their meal. Before either could investigate, Ryoko came in, followed by two women that hadn't been at dinner the night before: a woman with long dark blue hair and pink eyes, with two small circles on her forehead, and an older woman with long very dark purple hair and eyes that were violet. Both were wearing what looked like very formal kimonos, but they were in a style neither Shinji nor Asuka had ever seen. Ryoko was in the middle of a sentence as they walked in, "...like Washu said, it's just us left, besides the two we rescued. You'll have to ask Washu if you want more details. She said it was safe to leave the lab, but since there is no-one out there, I'm not in a hurry, and neither are Tenchi or the old man."

The younger, blue haired woman looked very sad, but determined at the same time, as she entered the dining room, "I have looked myself, and Washu is correct, there are no more people left. The animals and plants are no worse off than after Second Impact, so the Earth is not dead, just lacking people, for the time being. Thankfully, they are not completely gone, their souls still exist. And neither Ryu-Oh or Funaho seem to have been affected. I have much work to do here, though, if you decide to stay."

The purple-haired woman put a hand on the other's shoulder, "Sasami, you don't have to do it alone, we will help as much as we can. You know that, sister." As they entered the room, the woman noticed Shinji and Asuka for the first time, "Ryoko, are these two young people the ones you rescued?"

"Yes, Ayeka, they are. I haven't had any children since you went back to Jurai for your Father's Jubilee last month. They are Shinji Ikari and Asuka Soryu. Kids, this is my sister-wife, Ayeka, and my sister-in-law, Sasami. They just arrived from Jurai a few minutes ago."

The proper introductions were made, and the three women went off in search of Washu. The two teens finished up their breakfasts and something that Ryoko had said suddenly hit Asuka's awareness. "Shinji, when Ryoko introduced Ayeka, what did she call her?" she asked her companion, not wanting to make a fool of herself if she had heard wrong.

"I think she said 'sister-wife.' I wonder if that means what it sounded like?" was the boy's thoughtful response.

"I thought that was what she said, what does it mean to you? I've never heard the term."

"Well, since Ryoko and Tenchi are married, maybe Tenchi is married to Ayeka, also? Back in ancient times, noblemen occasionally had more than one wife."

Tenchi came in as Shinji was giving Asuka his theory, and sat down at the table. "You are correct, Shinji, I am married to both Ryoko and Ayeka. We'll all be getting together in a little while in the family room, and we will give you some explanations then. Are you both done?"

The two teens nodded and then looked at each other, shadows of their synchronization training making them look like twins. They got up and followed Tenchi into the family room, where almost everyone else had already gathered. Tenchi went to sit with Ryoko, Ayeka, and Mayuka on one sofa, Yosho and Noboyuki were on another with Washu between them, and Sasami was sitting on the third sofa holding Ryo-Ohki in her lap, leaving a couple of chairs for the teens. Yosho cleared his throat once everyone was settled and began, "Now that we are all here, I'll summarize my view of our situation, and then we can discuss what we will do. First, and most importantly, the family is safe, and there are no immediate threats to be dealt with. Both of the trees are well, and we have ample supplies and transport if needed. Thanks to Washu's rapid response, we also still have our home," he nodded to Washu, who blushed. "We have rescued the only two other human survivors, and Sasami and Ayeka have come to help. Welcome, sisters. Washu, can you tell us what you know about what occurred yesterday?"

Washu stood as Yosho sat, and snapped her fingers. Her keyboard appeared and a holoscreen popped into being behind her head with what appeared to be a live shot of Earth from approximately halfway between the Earth and Moon. Washu began typing and the image zoomed in until the view was centered over Japan. "At approximately 3:15pm yesterday afternoon, there was a battle in Tokyo 3 involving at least eleven of the entities known as Evangelions as well as some forces which I have not yet identified. As a result of, but possibly coincidental to the battle, the souls of every human being on the planet (with the exception of those sitting here) were merged into one. I still don't know how, and that, frankly, scares me. I will continue my research. Sasami, do you have any information on this?"

"Yes, Washu, I think I can help you somewhat, but there is much to go over and it can wait. You need not worry."

"Thank you, Sasami, we can talk later this morning, I guess. I would also like to talk to our two guests about what they know of the yesterday's events." Washu looked over at the two pilots as if she expected some sort of reply, but as the silence went on, she resumed her speech in a lighter tone, "That can wait, too. As for immediate concerns, we don't have to worry about supplies or transportation. I can literally whip up any supplies we need, and Ryo-Ohki and Tsunami are here to take us wherever we need." The small brown-furred cabbit myahhed in response.

Asuka, who had been following the speech closely, interrupted, "Miss Washu, what do you mean that Ryo-Ohki can take us where we need to go?"

"In her ship form she can hold all of us who are here, more in a pinch, and although she doesn't look like much right now," the scientist paused as Ryo-Ohki gave her a glare and a 'humph', "Sorry, daughter, but remember that our guests have never seen you in any other form. As I was saying, Ryo-Ohki can transform herself into a spacegoing ship, suitable for very long range travel. Also into humanoid form," and there was a soft pop as Ryo-Ohki demonstrated by transforming into a furry young woman.

Both Asuka and Shinji stared, as Ryoko quietly leaned over and elbowed Ryo-Ohki, whispering, "show-off!" which got everyone else smiling and broke some of the tension. The cyan haired woman turned her attention to her mother, "Anything else, Mom?"

"There is one other thing, yes. I left many sensor devices in Tokyo 3 where we picked up Shinji and Asuka, and I have preliminary indications that other humans may separate from the merged whole and re-appear, so to speak. Shinji and Asuka also mentioned this possibility yesterday. My sensors should pick up any new human activity anywhere on the planet, so we will know if anyone re-appears within minutes of their emergence." Washu sat back down on the couch, and her accessories faded from view.

Yosho stood back up and asked, "Does anyone have anything else they want to add? I think Washu summed up our situation accurately." No one spoke up, so he continued, "My biggest question to ask all of you, is this: should we stay here on Earth or relocate to Jurai? I have my own opinions of this, but we must all have a say in a decision of this magnitude. I believe it would be prudent to relocate for a time, until the situation here is clearer. If more people return, we could have a small rescue station set up to assist them as needed. Tenchi?"

"I also think we should relocate to Jurai for a time. I do want to return as soon as we can, though. This _is_ our home."

One by one, the other Masaki family members voiced their opinions, with only Noboyuki not wanting to leave. He was not much of a space traveler and he reasoned that someone needed to stay in order to help those who came back. Ryoko was reluctant to go to Jurai, but otherwise had no problem with leaving, as long as she was with Tenchi. After the Masaki's had all had a chance to voice their opinions, Yosho turned to Shinji and Asuka. They had been quietly observing the whole process and wondering what "Jurai" was, and both of them were somewhat confused. "Miss Asuka, Shinji, do you have any questions?"

It was Asuka who asked the question both were thinking, "Where is this 'Jurai' you people keep talking about? I've never heard of it, and you said there were no other people on Earth."

"Jurai is a planet several hundred light years from here," Yosho began, and a few minutes of questions and answers later, both of the teens had a much clearer picture of their situation, and of the decidedly strange family that had taken them in.

Once the former pilots had had their fill of new information, Washu took Asuka into her laboratory space to begin the process of healing her injuries while Shinji helped Mayuka clean the dining room. "Miss Mayuka? How long would it take to travel to Jurai?" he asked as they carried the breakfast plates to the kitchen.

"A week or so. It's been a few years since I have been there - we went during a summer school vacation and stayed for three weeks, with a week of travel there and back. It was one of the most boring trips I have ever taken, all that pomp and ceremony and not being let out of compound without too many escorts and servants and flunkies. But I did make some friends while I was there, a couple of the girls were nice," Mayuka blushed slightly, realizing she was rambling. Nevermind that Grandfather Yosho had not mentioned anything about the "family business" during the earlier question and answer session.

Shinji stared at Mayuka as he put the dishes next to the sink, "That sounds like your family is really important or rich or something. What does your family do on Jurai?"

"We rule it," was Mayuka's answer.


	3. Chapter 3

Moving On

by deckman1063

Quick Author's Note: thanks to JT who read this chapter for me a couple of times, and helped me figure out what wasn't right about it. For what it's worth, chapter 4 is in the works...

- deckman1063

Chapter 3

"Rule it??" Shinji exclaimed, nearly dropping the plates he was carrying.

"Yes. Why are you so surprised?" replied the orange-eyed girl, arching an eyebrow at her companion.

Shinji sputtered as he carried the armload of dishes to the kitchen sink, obviously having difficulty processing the new information about his hosts. As he put his burden down, he managed to get his mind back into gear, "B-b-but why do you live here if your family is in charge there?"

"Grandfather Yosho was the first crown prince when he came here. His half Earther heritage made him subject to heavy prejudice back on Jurai so he decided not to return. The rest is history. Things on Jurai are better now than they were seven hundred years ago, but there are still many who cling to the old ways. You and Asuka will have to face some of that if you come with us, and I thought you should know before you decide." Mayuka had begun washing the dishes as she spoke, and Shinji stood ready with a towel, easily falling into the domestic rhythm he was used to while living with Misato.

"Oh!" he shouted, thoughts of his former guardian reminding him of their pet. "Miss Mayuka, do you think that Washu would be able to find something for me, in Tokyo-2?"

"That depends on what you're looking for, but she does love a challenge. What do you need her to find?"

"Only people were affected by Third Impact and Instrumentality, not animals, so Pen-Pen, my guardian's pet penguin might be OK. Misato had sent him to live in Tokyo-2 with some friends just before the end."

"Pet _penguin_? I didn't know there were any left after Second Impact."

As Shinji was about to reply, Asuka and Washu entered the kitchen, having finished in the lab. Asuka was wearing a pair of khaki capri's with a light pink blouse, and was sporting a small black eye-patch. She had heard Mayuka's question and realized she missed the bird herself. "I was wondering, Shinji, do you know what happened to Pen-Pen?" she asked, cutting off Shinji's answer.

"I was going to ask Washu to look for him in Tokyo-2. Misato sent him to live with the Horaki's when they moved out a few weeks ago," replied the brown haired boy.

"Oh, OK," the red-head said quietly, not wanting to be reminded of the time she had spent comatose in the hospital. She had seen others' memories of that time during Instrumentality and hadn't liked what they revealed.

Washu, on the other hand, perked up at the former pilot's question, summoning her holo-keypad. "I'm sure I can find a penguin in Tokyo-2, just give me time to get some sensor drones in position and I'll find that bird by dinner time!"

Shinji bowed to the red-headed genius, "thank you, Miss Washu. I would be very grateful if you could find him. He must be very lonely and hungry right now."

"No, no, it is no trouble. I hate to see anyone suffer." Washu turned towards the door to her lab and muttered aloud to herself, "find a penguin in Tokyo-2? What was I thinking? Oh well, I am the greatest genius in the universe! How hard could it be?" The three teens just looked at each other nervously, since the scientist hadn't been as quiet as she thought.

Asuka began rummaging in the refrigerator, and had pulled out a pitcher of iced tea. As she settled onto a stool with a glass, Mayuka and Shinji resumed their cleaning up. "So, what were you two talking about while I was with Miss Washu? You look very domestic," the red-head slyly insinuated.

"M-mayuka was just telling me a little about Jurai, that's all! Really!" stammered the brown haired boy, taking Asuka's bait and turning red.

"I was telling him about the family business, as well as the fact that some Juraians look down on Earthers," explained Mayuka, washing the last plate and passing it to her assistant.

Asuka sipped at her tea, expecting the dark blue haired girl to elaborate. The moment dragged out and she couldn't stand it any more, "Well? What do you people do on Jurai?"

Mayuka gave the same reply she had given Shinji earlier, but Asuka had a very different reaction, "You're not kidding me? Jurai must be one crazy place."

"Not crazy, just different," replied the youngest Masaki. "Besides, giant robots fighting monsters and all humanity being destroyed is normal?"

"Nothing is 'normal' anymore. Nothing...ever...was," Asuka slowly came to a quiet stop, staring into the glass she held in her lap. As her hair fell down in front of her face, her shoulders began to shake, and Mayuka and Shinji could hear her short, sharp, gasping sobs.

Mayuka quickly put down the dishcloth, and, wiping her hands on her apron, hurried across the kitchen to the redhead and put her arms around the girl from the side. "I'm sorry, Asuka! I didn't mean to upset you, I was only teasing!"

Shinji, meanwhile, just stood by the sink in shock, watching the girls and trying to decide what to do. He had never seen Asuka break down like that before - her usual method of dealing with unpleasant thoughts had been to lash out at the offender, or the closest convenient target, which had often been him.

Sasami entered the kitchen a couple of minutes later, to the scene of Mayuka holding the younger girl. Asuka's head was buried on the older girl's shoulder and she was keening softly. Shinji was watching the scene with a helpless expression, leaning against the sink. Mayuka looked up at her aunt with an pleading expression, "Auntie?" was all she could manage before the older woman held out her hand and closed her eyes in concentration. The two dots on her forehead began to glow faintly, and she began to sing, too quietly to hear the words. Asuka's crying began to slowly turn to soft breathing as she fell asleep. Shinji gradually relaxed and looked at Sasami, eyes wide in at the sight of the glow surrounding her and her hair waving as if in a breeze. She held her hands together in front of her chin, as if in prayer.

The boy was shaken from his awed trance by the bursting into the room of both Ryoko and Tenchi, who had both felt the stirring of Sasami's power. Sasami's eyes snapped open and she looked to Tenchi as she finished her song. In an echoing voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once, she declared, "the Child should sleep for a short while. She holds much sadness within, and it will take her time to let it go. Less time, with our help. I helped her to relax and sleep." Ryoko moved to assist Mayuka with the sleeping girl, and they carried her out of the kitchen into the family room, putting her on one of the sofas. The blue haired, pink eyed goddess then turned to Shinji and smiled, "You, Child, also hold much pain, but you must be brave and strong, for her as well as yourself. By helping her, you will in turn be helped. Remember that neither of you are alone: you have each other, and us, to lean on when you must. This world will one day be whole again." She blinked, and the glow slowly faded. In a normal voice, she added, "Tenchi, I think you should help Shinji out to the family room to sit with Asuka."

---

Asuka woke from her sleep just before lunch and related her strange dream to Shinji, who was sitting in the chair next to her, reading and listening to his SDAT player. She had been walking alone on a dark plain, and had followed the most beautiful song she had ever heard for what seemed like forever. A pond with a small tree had appeared, and as she moved closer, she had realized that the tree was the source of the song. Kneeling at the edge of the pond, the music lulled her to sleep no matter how hard she tried to fight it, and then the next thing she knew she had woken on the couch. Shinji had tried to relate his version of the morning's events, but Sasami called everyone for lunch before he could finish. During lunch, Yosho and Tenchi announced that they would be leaving for Jurai the next day. Anything that they couldn't pack up in that time could be guarded by Washu's devices. Since the two former pilots couldn't really help with packing up, they had been relegated to the video viewer with a couple of informational programs about Jurai and the galactic civilization in general. When they had finished those, they decided on an action movie to pass the time until dinner.

The door to Washu's lab banged open in the middle of the film, about 3pm, and the red-headed scientist burst out, shouting, "Shinji! Asuka! I found your penguin - come with me!" as she grabbed them both and pulled them into the lab. Where the examination room had been earlier was a control-room-like area with consoles and screens arranged in a semi-circle around a large captain's chair. The screens showed aerial views of the surrounding area, the Tokyo-3 beach where the Children had been found, and an apartment block in a city that the screen had labeled as TOKYO-2: 15:07 JST. A targeting circle was superimposed on the building, focused on a window four stories up. Small print under the circle declared "PENGUIN - 99.44% PROBABILITY".

"That's the only place that there is anything even close to a penguin, it must be him, I am SUCH a genius!" Washu announced, trailing off into maniacal laughter. Both teens simply stared at her in disbelief, so she continued, "Ha ha, don't mind me. Now - how do you want to retrieve him? There are two ways - one of you can go in and bring him through the portal, or I can have a robot do it, its up to you two."

"Shinji, you should go get him. He'd freak out if a robot showed up," came Asuka's immediate proposal.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I'll go," Shinji replied, asking Washu "What do I have to do?"

"Just step through this portal, and you'll be inside the apartment," Washu gestured behind the two to a swirling black portal that hadn't been there when they had entered.

"That's all?" Shinji looked dubiously at the blackness. "I can't see where I'm going!"

"Oh! Sorry about that, look here," Washu pointed at a new screen showing the interior of an apartment. "This is the view out of the portal."

"Uh, could you move the portal a little bit? I'll trip over the table where it is now."

Washu fingers flew over her holo-laptop and the view panned to the side until nothing was visible blocking the exit. "You don't miss much, do you Shinji? Heh-heh. Smart kid."

"OK, here I go," Shinji stated as he walked into the blackness. There was an immediate thump heard through the screen's speakers and a surprised "Ow!" The screen view panned down to show the boy sprawled over a chair that had been outside the camera range before.

"Sheesh, what a baka," commented the red-haired girl, as she shook her head.

Washu stepped through the portal herself and helped the boy up. As he dusted himself off, the sound of beer cans being kicked came from the hallway and Shinji was nearly knocked over again as Pen Pen latched onto his leg.

"Pen Pen! It is you! You're safe!" exclaimed the teen as he knelt to grab the squawking bird. Meanwhile, Washu looked carefully around the room, noting the pile of clothing on the other side of the table.

"Okay, you got him, let's go," she said as she took hold of the boys shoulders and steered him to the portal, turning him so he wouldn't see the pile. The red-haired scientist pushed him through into the lab, and the circle shrank to a dot, disappearing with a soft 'poof' after she came behind him. Pen Pen seemed oblivious to the change of location as it happened, as he was still latched onto Shinji's front. He soon noticed his new surroundings, though, and began looking around quickly. Asuka and Shinji took Pen Pen back into the main house, where he quickly made himself comfortable in front of the viewer in the family room until dinner.

---

After dinner, everyone gathered in the family room to relax after having spent the day packing up. Pen Pen was immediately adopted by everyone, especially after managing to steal a saucer of Ryoko's sake during dinner. Plans were then made to leave for Jurai after breakfast the next morning, with Tsunami carrying everyone. Noboyuki would stay behind and mind the house and Washu's sensors, and let the others know as soon as any other humans emerged from the ocean of LCL. Once on Jurai, Washu would open an access to her lab there as well, so that if the need arose, they could instantly travel between the two planets. No more than a couple of people could travel between the planets that way at a time, though, even for Washu the energy required to maintain a connection over such a large distance was not something to spent lightly.

As Shinji and Asuka readied themselves for another night at the Masaki house, they talked quietly together about their day, and Shinji finally got a chance to finish explaining to his red-headed companion about what Sasami had said and done that morning.

"So, you're saying that Miss Sasami was singing to me? I wonder why in my dream I saw a tree?" mused the girl, staring at the ceiling as she lay back on the futon.

"I certainly don't know why you saw a tree, but she sang the most amazing song I've ever heard. And she told me that they will be there to help both of us whenever we need it, but that most of all, we should try to help each other."

"Too bad we hadn't met the Masaki's sooner, huh, Shinji?"

"Yeah, I guess so. But I'm glad we're with them now. Pleasant dreams, Asuka," Shinji finished with a wide yawn and rolled over in his futon to get more comfortable. His dreams that night were once again strangely peaceful, considering the events of the previous days.

"Sleep well, Baka, and don't forget to keep yourself on YOUR side of the room." Asuka, too drifted off into a slumber where she had dreams of whole planets filled with singing trees.


	4. Chapter 4

Moving On

by deckman1063

Chapter 4

The morning dawned cloudy and damp. Washu had moved the house back outside during the night, so that Noboyuki, who was staying behind, wouldn't be stuck in subspace in the lab. The pilots woke to the sound of what they thought was thunder.

"Huh? What's that noise? Baka! You awake? You hear that?" Asuka began groggily, but woke quickly as she continued, sitting up and leaning over the screen separating her from her roommate. Shinji made some grunting noises as he reached out to turn off the alarm in his dream, only to come wide awake as he grabbed something that definitely wasn't his clock. The resounding crash from outside was the only thing that saved him from the consequences of having violated the personal space of the now very awake redhead. She detached his hand from her shoulder and ran to the window.

The view spread before them was something that neither of them was prepared for: a fairly large spacecraft was buried nose-down in the pond in front of the house, with the remains of the wooden dock bobbing gently in the ripples. Washu and Ryoko were already outside, gesturing at a tall blond woman with a coppery complexion. The new arrival was dripping wet, bowing, and holding her pillbox hat in front of herself. A knock at the door and a "come in" from Shinji brought Mayuka in to get the teens for breakfast. "Don't worry about the commotion outside, that's just our resident Galaxy Police officer, Mihoshi. She's a First-Class Detective, and really nice, but she can't seem to stop crashing into the pond."

"Ohh-kayyy. She does this all the time? And no one ever noticed?" Asuka asked.

"Nope. Grandmother has always fixed things up quick enough."

"How often does she visit?"

"She lives here when she isn't on patrol."

"Oh. Hey, Shinji!" shouted the redhead as she turned to the boy, who was still at the window staring at the crash scene.

"Yes? What do you want?" Shinji returned as he looked over his shoulder at the girls by the door.

"PRIVACY! I need to change!" Asuka exclaimed, pointing toward the hallway.

"Oh! Okay. I'll get me stuff and change in the bathroom," the brown-haired Third Child offered as he started rummaging through the small pile of clothes next to his futon. Washu had given both teens several sets of clothing before they had gone to bed. "I'll see you downstairs."

"Yeah, yeah, get moving!" shot the Second Child, as she made shooing gestures and turned to go through her new wardrobe.

"I'll see you both downstairs, then," said Mayuka as she left the two newest members of the household to prepare for the new day.

---

By the time they sat down to breakfast, the dock had been repaired and the ship was nowhere to be seen. Mihoshi was introduced to the pilots, and everyone sat down to a good meal. After breakfast, though Mihoshi stood up and cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "I have an announcement to make regarding the current situation on Earth," she began as she took out a small holo-sheet projector and began reading from it. "By order of the Galaxy Police, under section 42 paragraph 3.7 of the Galactic Code, Earth is hereby declared a quarantine area until the nature of the events which led up to the elimination of nearly everyone on the planet are investigated. I will be starting the investigation shortly, by taking statements from everyone here."

The resultant burst of questions and shouting lasted several minutes.

---

"Washu, for the record, did you have anything to do with this disaster?"

"NO, I did NOT! I barely saved the family as it was!" stated the angry red-haired genius, glaring dangerously at Mihoshi. The blond GP officer pushed a button on the recorder cube set on the table in front of her and continued, oblivious to the daggers Washu was staring at her.

"Washu, do you know what did happen?"

"No, not exactly, but I will transfer a summary of my data to you. The two people we rescued, Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley Sohryu, may have more information. Tsunami knows, but good luck getting anything out of her."

"Tsunami is here? I didn't see her on my approach?" Mihoshi looked confused - she knew of Sasami's connection to the Juraian patron goddess, but no one else outside the royal family knew. To the galaxy at large, Tsunami was a legendary ship that had the same name as the goddess, nothing more. Washu had been truthful, but deliberately vague.

Sasami piped in, cutting Washu and Mihoshi off. "Yes, Tsunami is here. That is how Ayeka and I arrived yesterday. She parked herself in sub-space."

"Oh. Okay," the copper-skinned detective said, thinking for a moment and pressing more buttons on the cube. "She is subject to the quarantine too, then! Oh my!"

"Good luck stopping her, she goes where she wants to, you know that," was Washu's comment, as she winked at Sasami, who was trying not to giggle.

"That's right! I meant to ask before - Tenchi, why are there all these boxes and bags? Are we moving?"

The tall, dark-haired farmer, shrine keeper, and prince shook his head at his friend's apparent cluelessness. "Mihoshi, we were going to relocate temporarily to Jurai. With the GP quarantine, though, that isn't going to happen, at least not today, I don't think. Grandpa? Washu? What do you think?"

Washu responded first, Yosho was deep in thought, "this does complicate matters, no doubt about that."

Yosho, with his hand on his chin, gave his opinion, "while we could leave, and defy the quarantine order, doing so will give the GP the authority to add whatever planets or facilities we contact to the quarantine. I believe that the prudent course of action would be to honor the GP request, for now. With Washu's data, hopefully the quarantine will be lifted soon."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, considering the new situation, when a loud beeping from Mihoshi's wrist communicator interrupted the group's thoughts. A tinny voice from the device began, "Mihoshi! Mihoshi! Please answer!"

The detective fumbled at her wrist for a moment then spoke into the unit, which had projected an image of her main ship's AI above her arm, "Yes, Yukinojo? What is it?"

"Mihoshi, the quarantine sensor net you deployed has detected an object leaving lunar orbit. It is unknown, matching no recorded profiles. Shall I move to intercept it or track and wait for your arrival?"

"What is the object's course and speed?" Mihoshi was suddenly all business, which seemed out of character to the two EVA pilots as they watched the proceedings intently.

"It is accelerating steadily, and its course appears to be aimed at the fourth planet of this system. If present acceleration projections are followed, it will arrive at the planet in three days if it intends a flyby, and eight days if it decelerates to enter orbit."

"Track it, then, but inform me immediately if there are significant deviations from your projections. Oh, and, um, what does it look like?" ended Mihoshi, reverting to her earlier state of seeming absentmindedness.

"Transmitting image now, real time visual sensors."

The image of Yukinojo's interface module was replaced by a grainy, highly magnified image, but it wasn't too grainy for both teen pilots to instantly recognize the green and purple humanoid form of Evangelion Unit 01, holding what appeared to be the original Lance of Longinus. The artifact had been imbedded in the Lunar surface ever since the battle with the Fifteenth Angel. Only the soft thump of Shinji fainting to the floor disturbed the group's fixed attention on the ominous scene in the projection.


	5. Chapter 5 revised

Moving On

by deckman1063

Author's Note: This is a revised version of chapter 5, with added material that wasn't in the original post. I felt that the chapter was too short, and I was having trouble making chapter 6 long enough, so I added them together. Enjoy!

Chapter 5

"That's Unit 01!" shouted Asuka, the first to overcome the paralysis Yukinojo's transmission had caused.

Mayuka knelt down to tend to Shinji, who was still unconscious on the floor. Mihoshi had turned off the projector, but was looking about wildly and repeating "Oh my! What should we do? What should we do?" Yosho and Sasami were looking at each other, both wondering what the other knew about the situation that they weren't telling. Ayeka and Tenchi were trying to calm down the overanxious detective and having only marginal success. Washu had summoned her holo-laptop at the first sign of trouble and was busily typing away while ignoring everyone else. Ryoko flew into the kitchen to get a glass of water for the fainted pilot. The sound of water running and glasses clinking was soon followed by Ryoko reappearing and handing her adopted daughter the glass.

Shinji was slowly reviving, mumbling, "Don't go! Please come back!" loud enough for only his two attendants to hear.

Yosho took charge of the chaos, clapping his hands as he cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. They all turned to the elder Masaki shrine keeper, expecting him to speak, but he merely looked expectantly at his youngest sister and raised an eyebrow. Sasami began once she had everyone's attention, "We should retrieve it. Tsunami can handle this, but the Third Child should come along, it will make things simpler. Tenchi, you too. No one else." From the resulting burst of voices, it was clear to the younger princess that she was going to have to answer some questions, but she decided that putting them off was the only way to reduce the likelihood of something going wrong. She was all too aware that the old adage 'too many cooks spoil the soup' applied to many other situations as well. She interjected, "things will be clearer once we return," over the din.

Washu looked up from her keypad, directly at Sasami, "are you sure about this? I can send out a drone ship, you won't need to risk yourselves."

"No, Washu, this task needs a gentle touch. Science cannot always do everything, and you said yourself that you didn't have all the data you wanted. You'll have much more data when we return, I promise."

"If you know what I need, why don't you just tell me now? What's the rush?" Washu shot back, irritated. She hated being in the dark.

"I'm sorry, Washu, you know I haven't had time to talk to you yet. Trust your own instincts, you know I'm right about this."

"Fine, do what you want, but I expect you to tell me everything when you get back. AND I won't fix things up for free if you get in trouble." The redheaded genius turned away from the rest of the family and stalked into her lab, slamming the door. No one had been expecting a confrontation between the two women, and they all were looking at Sasami for an explanation.

"She's just worried, I think," the Second Crown Princess somewhat lamely ventured.

Shinji, who had revived enough to hear the last part of the discussion between the scientist and the princess, saved Sasami further embarrassment by asking "what's going on?"

"You, Tenchi, and Myself are going to go and retrieve the Evangelion. Are you well enough to travel? Speed is of the essence," asked Tsunami's avatar.

"I'm all right. I apologize for worrying you all."

Tenchi responded for all of them, saying "there is no need to apologize, we are all just happy that you are OK. Come with me, we can get ready." As he offered the boy his hand to help him out of his sitting position on the floor, Tenchi turned to look at the blue haired princess, "Sasami, is there anything special we need to bring?"

"The only thing you need is the Tenchi-ken. I will be waiting for you all at Funaho's pond."

---

Ten minutes later the whole family - minus Washu - was gathered by the pond in the woods. Funaho herself, Yosho's space tree companion, was still rooted in place, but the small pond and stepping stones that had been her surroundings for so many years had been changed over the past decade. The pond was smaller, and shallower, more a ring around the small mound than a pond, really. Funaho's three-meter wide trunk stood in the center of the meter-high and ten-meter diameter hill. A small footbridge spanned the water from the shore to the center, replacing the stones. After Second Impact, with Yosho and Funaho's consent, Washu had begun preparations to allow Funaho to return to space, and had needed to remodel the pond in the process. The genius' work had been successful, to a point, and while Funaho was no longer bound to the ground, she still needed a new flying hull, which only the artisans of the planet Ryuten could provide. Her first flight since she had arrived on Earth seven centuries earlier would have to be as a passenger.

As the group approached the footbridge, Asuka turned to Mayuka, "Mayuka, why is your aunt taking only your father and Shinji with her? And why are we going to a pond, don't they need some kind of spaceship?"

"Asuka, only Aunt Sasami knows why she only needs my father and Shinji. She'll tell us eventually, or it will become obvious, I guess. As for a spaceship, Tsunami is nearby, and I am guessing that Sasami wants to use Funaho as a teleport link. Don't worry. Tsunami is the First Space Tree - the only ship able to generate ten Light Hawk wings. She will be able to handle anything."

Asuka wanted to continue asking questions, but they had reached Funaho and the group stopped, so she turned to Sasami with the others.

Sasami stood next to the ancient tree, and waited for the group to come across the bridge. Once they had all crossed, she nodded, motioning for Tenchi and Shinji to join her next to the tree. Turning to face the tree, she began to chant:

Heaven to Earth,

And Earth back to Heaven,

I ask you, Funaho, to aid in this task.

Show us the path,

Engraved by the Light!

As soon as Sasami had started, a low hum began, rising in pitch and volume, until at the last word the hum abruptly stopped, and Funaho's trunk began to glow brightly. The electric blue light from the tree was so strong that the group had to shield their eyes. The three travelers were enveloped by the light, which then faded quickly. When the glow had completely subsided, all trace of the trio had gone with it. Ayeka called out, "May you have a safe journey, please come home to us!" and turned back to the others. "Come, let us return to the house and I'll make some tea."

"Hey, the last time you tried anything in that kitchen, you set all the smoke detectors off!" responded Ryoko, flying over to her sister-wife and clapping her on the back. They bantered like that all the way back to the house, much to Asuka's confusion.

"They do that all the time, especially when they're nervous about Dad. Don't worry, I'll make the tea. You can help," Mayuka explained to the redheaded former pilot. When Asuka just looked at her with a worried expression, then stopped and looked back at Funaho, Mayuka continued, "Don't worry. I'm sure that everything will be fine. Aunt Sasami has everything under control. Really!" But it was painfully clear to the youngest Masaki that her friend didn't believe her at all. She took Asuka's hand, and led her back to the house in silence.

Asuka, for all the brave face she had put on, couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. The questions only multiplied, and now that Shinji was no longer nearby, she felt very alone. The Masaki family was very nice to them and all, but who knew what they were really like? She had known them for only a few days, and each day had brought her hints of things that they all knew but didn't even try to explain. The things she and Shinji had learned about their hosts were crazy enough, she couldn't even speculate about what the Masaki's hadn't told them.

---

Once Sasami, Tenchi, and Shinji arrived on Tsunami, the young pilot got his first view of Earth from space. As he stood staring out through the canopy that covered the central section of the great ship, Tenchi motioned for Sasami to move out of the boy's earshot. "Sasami, please tell me what you are planning. You know I don't like surprises," pleaded the presumptive heir to the Juraian throne to his patron goddess.

Before Sasami could answer, however, she was interrupted by a transmission from Yukinojo. "Yukinojo calling Tsunami, please respond!"

Sasami looked toward the viewer she had activated (for her companion's sake only, because in a very real sense she WAS the ship and had no need of the viewer herself), "Hello Yukinojo. Do you mind if we retrieve the unknown craft and take it back to Earth?"

"Your Highness! I cannot make decisions like that myself, please wait a moment while I contact Detective Mihoshi," replied the AI, sounding somewhat nervous. It was well aware that while it had the authority to tell the ancient ship to wait, there was little it could do if Tsunami decided not to comply. Tenchi and Sasami smiled at each other while Yukinojo conferred with its human partner in the background. A couple of minutes later the retrieval team had both the OK from Mihoshi and Yukinojo's tracking data. "Good luck, Tsunami. I will return to patrol, and I will reach your recommended safe distance from the estimated interception point by the time you reach the object."

"Thank you for your assistance, Yukinojo. And remember, if anything happens, for your own safety, do not attempt to interfere with the unknown object." Sasami called, cutting off the communication when she was done. "Tenchi, I will need you to call your Light Hawk wings. I will summon my own, and together we will be able to restrain the Evangelion long enough for me to contact its core's resident soul. Once I do that, our young friend should be able to convince her to come back with us. Also, I don't want to surprise it by teleporting to it or approaching it cloaked - if it knows we approach, it will be less likely to fight us out of panic. Also, if it does come to a fight, you must avoid physical contact with the long spear it is carrying. I am positive it is extra-dimensional in nature."

Tenchi listened carefully to Sasami's plan, but still had some questions, so he and Sasami continued to discuss details as they approached EVA 01. As they traveled further from Earth, Shinji stared at his receding home until he could no longer tell it from the surrounding stars, and wondered if he would ever see it again. In many ways this situation was like his first encounter with EVA, he had again been swept up in events beyond his control. The major difference was that the Masaki clan seemed friendly, unlike his father had been. Shinji clung to the hope that things would be better this time, and watched the stars.

---

Tsunami slowly approached EVA 01. There was about 10 kilometers between them, and even if they had human eyesight they would have been able to see each other against the backdrop of stars. The EVA turned to face her and she finally knew for certain that she had been noticed. With no easy way to communicate with the giant mecha, Tsunami was apprehensive. Maybe she should have asked for Washu's help on the technical side of this adventure, but what was done was done. Washu, never accustomed to taking a back seat on anything, would take some time to come around, but she would, eventually. That it would be sooner if this went well went without saying. Shinji was standing at a screen watching a schematic of the stern chase, occasionally turning to look at EVA-01 as they got closer. Tenchi just stood facing forward and meditated, readying himself for what he had to do. Sasami had briefed Shinji for his role, but his actual purpose with them was much simpler than she had explained. She could tell he had figured out that watching the viewer was not important, but she didn't know how to tell him what her real need for him was, and it would all be clear when it was over. As he watched, Shinji wondered how Sasami controlled the ship - it seemed to him that it was something like how he synchronized with the EVA. He had no idea how close to actuality his idea was.

At 5 kilometers, Sasami turned to her Champion, "It is time, Tenchi."

The prince raised his head from his meditative pose and activated his Jurain battlesuit, transforming in a flash while drawing and activating the Tenchi-ken in the same motion. Tsunami slowed and held a 1000 meter distance from the EVA. "I will do my best, Sasami."

"I know you will. Be careful," replied Sasami as a blue transporter bubble enveloped the tall, brown haired man and dropped him outside the ship. As Shinji watched, Tenchi transformed once again, into the Light Hawk Armor, and spread his arms wide. Three glowing wings of energy shimmered into existence - one wing was parallel to Tenchi's body, the upper two formed a Y shape with it, with the vertex at the center of Tenchi's chest. Tenchi floated in space, facing EVA with a determined and resolute expression, and waited.

The young EVA pilot watched the show in awe of his host. He had no idea what to think of someone who could withstand the vacuum of space seemingly unprotected. The amazing light constructs the shrine keeper controlled were another mystery. The boy could only imagine the power that the sight before him represented. Sasami had spoken to him of a possible fight, and if the man outside the ship could fight an EVA with even a chance of winning, he had to wonder what else he didn't know about the family that had taken him and his fellow pilot in. He did not know how similar his thoughts were to Asuka's misgivings.

As soon as Tenchi was in position, Tsunami moved. Faster than a human eye could follow, she was past the EVA and stopped, facing her adversary from a distance of about 500 meters, opposite the Juraian prince. She immediately unfolded her own set of ten Light Hawk Wings and began to slowly move closer to EVA. Shinji could only stare in amazement at the Light Hawk Wings, and at the apparently peaceful and serene expression on Sasami's face. Sasami was in fact trying to find the link she needed to the mind of EVA-01, looking for the threads of consciousness and memory that she could use to contact the entity before her. She had closed to about 100 meters from the EVA, as close as she dared, when, to her relief, she found the link she needed and stopped. Pushing tendrils of her thoughts towards the EVA, she focused on one idea - an image of Shinji standing on the ship next to her.

---

At first EVA 01 did not know what to make of the object approaching it from behind, playing catch up. It was no Angel, nor was it anything it knew of from Earth, so the EVA decided to wait and see what happened. It was confident that it could defeat any hostile intentions; it had defeated seven Angels by itself, after all. What confused it were the object's possible origins. What was it? Would EVA find out if there were others in the universe sooner than it ever expected? Minutes passed and as the object got closer, EVA was able to resolve its image into an amazing construct of wood, like and yet so very unlike the old sailing ships of Earth. Since all of its communications equipment was set up to work on the NERV network, EVA did not even bother trying to contact the approaching craft - all it could do was wait, and hope it wasn't hostile.

"I wanted to visit the stars," it thought to itself. EVA had lost much of its identity beyond its function in the war against the Angels, but it knew it hadn't always been what it was now. Its pilot had been strangely familiar, stirring memories it could glimpse only briefly, clues to what had gone before. Wanting more of those memories, it had protected that pilot, fiercely at times. At least that is what it told itself was the reason, afraid to dig too deep. Now, as it waited on the unknown, it hoped it wouldn't need to fight - it wasn't sure it had the spark. Was seeing the stars enough? Its pilot was gone - he had chosen to live after Third Impact, and EVA wasn't surprised at the choice, just saddened, and lonely. "Children grow up and leave their mothers, that's the way of things," it mused, but it had no time to think on the subject any further, as the approaching craft had gotten close enough to see without sensors. Eva turned to face the ship, holding the Lance at the ready.

The great wooden ship stopped about a thousand meters away, and dropped a small object, which looked like a human. It then accelerated past EVA too quickly for it to react and stopped again, about five hundred meters away, opposite the human figure. EVA realized then that the craft had taken its time catching up on purpose - it must have wanted to be seen, for some reason. As soon as the ship stopped, though, the bubble of energy surrounding the human figure began to unfold into three long, blade-like wings unlike any energy EVA was able to analyze. It wasn't an Angel, at least, it would have been able to detect an AT field, and this wasn't one. Ten much larger blades of energy unfolded from the ship at the same time, and the ship began to slowly move closer. The ship's wings were two hundred meters long, and extended out in a fan perpendicular to EVA. The human had stayed put, and its wings were much smaller, ten meters long at the most. EVA 01 knew that it was in trouble if the ship was hostile, it couldn't run away. The ship stopped again, a scant hundred meters away now. So far, though, EVA was still at a loss - there had been no obvious attack, but it was now practically surrounded, and knew that the ship was fast enough to catch it. It knew it couldn't wait much longer to decide what to do.

Surrounded by aliens with unknown intentions, EVA finally made a decision. She didn't know what her adversaries wanted, and had realized that she did not care. SHE wanted to see the stars, and she would not be deterred. If they chose to force her to do otherwise, they would feel her power.

Even though Tsunami, Tenchi, and EVA-01 were stopped in relation to each other, they were still on the EVA's original course towards Mars. EVA activated her AT Field and began moving out from between her two opponents. Concentrating on her maneuvers, she missed the instant of thought from Tsunami that had reached her before the AT field solidified.

Sasami, realizing that things were about to turn difficult, increased her intensity, with the hope of punching through the AT field barrier. She also began turning so that she continued to face the EVA and moving to stay opposite Tenchi. As she moved closer, trying to get in range to wrap the EVA in her wings, she turned to her passenger, holding out her arms, "Shinji! Come to me! Now!" she shouted. She had realizing that if things got bumpy he would be tossed about and could get hurt. She had no worries for herself, but she intended to hold him rather than spare the effort to create a safe restraint for him.

EVA-01 saw the movement of the ship and spun to face the smaller of her opponents, hoping to get around it before the obviously powerful ship could intervene. She swung the Lance to point at her human adversary and charged, the roar of her AT-Field detectable even in the vacuum of interplanetary space. The gap shrank in a second, as her AT-Field propelled her out of Tsunami's grasp toward Tenchi. The Juraian prince stood his ground and held his defensive stance as the EVA sped at him, trusting the Light Hawk Wings, as he had on the previous occasions that he had called on the power in earnest. They had not failed him yet. Tsunami raced after the EVA, and hoped that the giant biomechanoid could be both delayed and distracted by her Champion.

Using the lance like a staff, EVA–01 swung it in a large arc, her goal being to sweep the obstacle from her path. She had no real desire to injure her opponents, but had no qualms about it, either. She would do what she had to do in order to remain free. Tenchi blocked the sweep, the Wings rotating and fusing into a disc in front of him as the orange polyhedral pattern of an AT-Field formed at the point of the Lance's contact. Shinji, watching from his vantage point on Tsunami's command deck was startled to see that the grid was made up of triangles, not the hexagons or octagons of the Angels he had fought. Tenchi, shaken by the impact but not hurt, was forced aside by the momentum of the swing as the EVA pivoted around him. She had a momentary thought that she had broken out from between her opponents, but Tsunami had used the EVA's concentration on Tenchi to teleport herself directly into the path of the escapee. Her ten Light Hawk wings quickly closed around the robotic form, like a flower closing it's petals at dusk. EVA-01, having been caught by surprise by Tsunami's maneuver, was unable to bring the Lance to bear on the new opponent in time, and it pointed out of the enclosure in back of the giant biomechanoid, held fast by the Light Hawk wings around it. EVA-01 desperately began to assault the inside of her cage with both her hands and her AT-Field, but she had no effect on her captor.

Meanwhile, on Tsunami's command deck, a somewhat winded Tenchi had appeared out of a blue teleport bubble, and turned to Sasami, "what do we do now, Tsunami?"

"We head home," Sasami smiled at her Champion as she looked him over to make sure he was not injured. "Hopefully our latest guest will be calmer by the time we reach Okayama." EVA-01 chose that moment to test her captor, shaking the ship as she struggled. "Or maybe not," said the princess with a sheepish expression as she stood back upright from where she had fallen to the floor.

EVA realized that the ship holding her was more powerful than any of the Angels she had faced before. Not only that, but she also felt that she was not in any physical danger from her captors. They had contented themselves with capturing her, and had not attacked back, reacting purely in a defensive manner. She had no pilot to give her direction or to protect, for that matter, and thus, she realized unhappily, did not have the will to unlock her full power. Resigned to captivity for the time being, she reluctantly began to power down her AT-Field.

As EVA-01 began lowering her AT-Field power, she was shocked to feel the presence of another mind in her thoughts. "Who is it? What is going on?" thought the surprised EVA at the new presence.

"I am Tsunami, the Ship of Jurai," was the reply EVA got back in a soft, gentle voice. Startled, EVA found herself standing in what appeared to be a grove of trees, with a glowing figure floating over a pond in front of her, a figure of a human woman with long blue hair and dressed in long, ornate robes. Looking down at her own image, EVA was again surprised, as she appeared to also have a human form in this dream.

"Where am I? What do you want?" asked the soul of the EVA, now more confused than ever. "Why do I look like this"

"You are inside of myself right now, and you appear as you believe yourself to truly be, Yui Ikari," said Tsunami, answering two of the questions. "For now, we are returning to Earth. Once we reach there, many questions will be clearer than they are now. Are you willing to come with us for now? I promise you that we have no wish to harm you."

"I want to see the stars! I don't want to go back. Earth has no place for me anymore," replied the soul of the Evangelion. "Wait - what did you call me?" asked the EVA, suddenly noticing the name that Tsunami had addressed her with.

"I called you by the name you were given at your birth, do you not recognize it any more? Is it that hard to remember?"

"There is so much that I no longer know. I remember only enough to make me realize that there used to be more, so much more. I am EVA now. If I was otherwise before, it is gone from me," responded EVA as she hung her head, looking at her body image for the closely first time. "I am this woman?" she asked, looking up at Tsunami.

Smiling back at EVA-01, Tsunami quietly replied, "As I said before, you appear here in the form you believe yourself to have. You are you, as I am I. But maybe we should leave this matter for now, as there is someone else here that I think you will recognize." At that moment, another figure appeared in the grove, looking somewhat startled.

Shinji had been standing on Tsunami's command watching Sasami. He had been about to ask Tenchi whether Sasami was OK, as she had been silent for several seconds, staring off at nothing, but Tenchi appeared unconcerned, and had begun cleaning himself up. Needless to say, his sudden transport into Tsunami's grove surprised him. "Huh? What - oh! Miss Sasami, what's going on?" asked the brown haired teen as he looked around, trying to get his bearings. This wasn't the first time he had ever suddenly found himself in a strange place, but that didn't stop him from being confused.

"We are within Myself, Shinji. I am sorry if I startled you, but there is someone else here, someone you will recognize," smiled the goddess, gesturing towards the woman that was standing next to her, in shadow. The boy's gaze followed his hostess's hand movement, and his eyes widened as he got his first good look at the third person in the grove.

"Mother? How? Miss Sasami?" was all the bewildered boy could get out as he looked, unbelieving, between the two women.

For her part, EVA just stared at her pilot before her, memories and once forgotten images crowding her mind, all clamoring for attention. She managed to make her body move, through the chaos, stepping up to the shocked boy and enfolding him in a tight embrace.

----

Thanks for taking the time to read!

deckman1063


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